The Note, 1/22/09: Clean Breaks — Obama Starts With What He’s Not

“Madam Secretary has a certain ring to it, too.”
As if something has changed in the title from the last 8 years?
That sentence is as far as I got and am going to get with this obama love fest.

Obama starting his presidency with what he is not? One example of what he is not is open to racial differences.
First, the pastor at his inaugural talks about the “yellow” ones that need to “mellow” IE: don’t work so hard to succeed, you aer making the others look bad. If you are brown; you can “stick around”. White? You are a pathetic loser that have been saved by the grace of the messiah Obama. You can now “think right”.
Second, we now have Robert Reich stating that he doesn’t want the stimulus money to go to “white construction workers”.
Obama surrounds himself with people that are racist, sexist, and elitist. He is a disgrace.

Amy, Robert Reich is one of Mr. Obama’s economic advisors. He is a Clinton retread and from his statements about preventing the stimulus from going to “white construction workers”, he appears to be a racist.
Do poor white families not deserve any assistance?

James, would you mind posting the quote and a link? Or is this a comment that somebody said he said? I googled and couldn’t find the comment anyplace!

Silky- these people have not been proven to be terrorists! They have been detained because the previous admin. THOUGHT, they might have ties. Quietly during the last weeks of past admin, they let some people go because they HAD NO PROOF! Under the law they wrote, are you aware you could be deemed and enemy combatant and jailed without counsel? Think about it!

try the truth, here you go.
http://www.y*utHbe.com/watch?v=opxuUj6vFa4&feature=channel_page
Correct spelling on link, pesky filters

“Silky- these people have not been proven to be terrorists! They have been detained because the previous admin. THOUGHT, they might have ties. Quietly during the last weeks of past admin, they let some people go because they HAD NO PROOF! Under the law they wrote, are you aware you could be deemed and enemy combatant and jailed without counsel? Think about it!”
I was being sarcastic. I’m with you on this one.

“I do recognize the potential for some of them to repeat the kind of terroristic acts we witnessed on 9/11 after they’ve sneaked in.”
And I recognize the reality of completing disregarding the values that this country is all about due to extreme paranoia.

“michelle obama said that she is only going to help the single monority mothers, so i guess the poor white mum is sheet out of luck also” Wow, so you have nothing and have to resort to lies! Sad for you!

James, the link doesn’t work

Silky & truth,
No comments on the “we don’t need to help whitey” video from reich?

James, the link doesn’t work! No surprise there!

Ahhhh, the sound of neoconservatives squealing like stuck pigs now that they’ve lost the election. It’s music to my ears.

Eric: Neo-Clowns is more like it!

Well, if it’s true that Michelle said she would only help single minority mothers, then the answer is easy. All of those single white mothers need to have bi-racial kids.

well, the interesting thing to see, is whether President Obama will attend fallen troops funerals, which former President Bush refused to do…I believe he will…and this will be true de-Bushification…

I heard a guy in the mountains of Arkansas (white) say that he doesn’t think Obama gets what THEY are going through! I agree.

follow james’ instructions – correct the spelling of you tube and the link works fine. take some time to read a post before you blast it.

Please speak for yourself we were not all glad to see that helicopter leave. I in no way was glad to see Bush leave because with Obama I certainly feel naked in this country now with him in control and the Congress we have. The media is the main reason that he was elected and I hope when he goes down and tears this country apart the media goes with it as well.

It’s “President Obama” you retards. He is our president now. Treat him with the same respect you gave to that idiot Bush, oops, former-President Bush.

As Bill Bennett, author of the Book of Virtues once said, “elections matter.” Obama is exercising his legitimate powers. Deep breaths, everyone. Perhaps someday the 50% who rarely or never vote will understand the significance of this quote.

The principles on which this country was founded were opposition. Opposition to taxation without representation, opposition to denial of freedom of religion, opposition to a general lack of freedoms in the sense that we were subjects of the queen. Dissent is at the core of American values. You dissent with my opinions. I dissent with your opinions. we both will have to live with the affects of change. Change sometimes brings undesireable results. In this case we have been safe for 7 years doing what we were doing. Why change? The rule of thumb is if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. The issue is national security, but you want to make it about rights, rights of prisoners. Make no mistake, the only right even a citizen prisoner enjoys even within our judicial system is the right to a fair and speedy trial and legal representation. Court appointed attorneys generally do no more than negotiate plea bargains. All other human rights are forfeited if there’s enough evidence to be placed under arrest. The detainees at Guitmo aren’t US citizens, so how is it that they have more rights than our citizens?

Obama is now on a reckless policy which will endanger our citizens. He has let left wing lunacy dictate his actions. When the next attack occurs, it will be impeachment time.

I don’t think some of you are being fair to the President. First I applaud the man for freezing wages of staffers and vowing more transparency to government. Heck, the CEO of the company I work for won’t even make those kinds of moves. Instead, they lay the workers off while they give management more bonuses. Second, its really not all on his shoulders to fix the economy. Its really easy to blame the government and deregulation for the financial mess we’re in. But if we’re really honest, we created it ourselves by buying things we couldn’t afford and putting everything on credit when most folks couldn’t manage their lives. It was bound to come crashing down eventually. You can’t keep digging that deep a hole and expect it to all be fine.

James – Robert Reich did not state that stimulus funds should not go to “white construction workers”. He said the industry is largely dominated by male white construction workers and he believes that “contractors should be required to provide at least 20 percent of jobs to the long-term unemployed and to people withincomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.” In this way, the stimulus would address more unemployed and underemployed women and minority groups who are less represented in that industry. His proposal targets an income level not a specific set aside for specific groups. You should have actually read the article instead of misrepresenting Dr. Reich.

Believe it or not, there are Democrats who don’t like or trust Obama.
It’s funny how people assume that people who don’t follow Obama are republicans. Not so!

mmonroeliveson – you stated and then asked: “The detainees at Guitmo aren’t US citizens, so how is it that they have more rights than our citizens?” – well first, they don’t have more rights than us citizens, BUT and this is something you in your obsession with Monroe miss – a democracy protects it’s rights by extending the process to others. If we have faith in our process, faith in our judicial system, faith in what happened (rightfully captured, rightfully accused) then what is to fear? Gitmo is a chicken cut slap in the face of our beloved Democracy extended by a neo-con agenda formulated before the election of 2000 to cover their arses. I am insulted and infuriated and your insinuation that you would even suggest that these detainees have more rights than we citizens. What we citizens will NOT and should NOT abandon is our pride, faith and strong foundation of our Constitution which I think you “Monroe” would say is a lot more important than fanning the ignorance and perpetual infinity fear of unknown “terrorism” used as a convenience of avoiding our responsibility as a nation in DEFEATING terrorism. Any man (our military or another supporting their cause of nation) is entitled to face his accusors and a trail – it doesn’t always happen for our beloved, but by all that is sacred we will demand it happens for everyone. We as a nation are better, and for your to hint, suggest or fan flames of desent in opposition is your right – but you are 100% wrong.

ABC News is so biased. Who cares if he froze the salaries of his cabinet. They weren’t even on the job for a day, and shouldn’t get a raise. Closing GITMO, will just release some terrorist back into society.

As Obama said so eloquently our safety does not require us to set aside our ideals and values. In fact, it plays into the hands of our enemies if we set up gulags and engage in torture and trample on personal rights – and in short sink to everything America is not.

I give it 3 years before one of the individuals released from these detention center plots and executes an attack on the U.S.

Coming soon to a congressional district near you, the Gitmo detainees

Bush’s mess won’t be cleaned up overnight folks, so get used to it. Rove continues his pack of lies, I see.

OnTheGloryRoad, this should really come as no surprise to you. I was watching a discussion, that reached mammoth proportions on this website the other day, regarding the use of waterboarding and other mean of “interrogation” that have been internationally recognized forms of torture by the USA. (This when good ol’ boy Cheney admitted that we hadn’t been “perfect” about not torturing detainees.)
The fundamentalist, radical “born again” neo-con “Christians” all maintained that, since terrorist organizations were beheading and perpetrating other atrocities on Americans around the world, we had a perfect right to torture, maim and kill detainees.
Of course, the rational posters kept attempting to point out everything you just said in your post, and that we were only dragging ourselves down into the much with the terrorists if we behaved as they did. We were no better than they were if we emulated their behavior.
And I found myself sitting here in stunned dismay. I, personally, am an atheist. Yet even *I* was perfectly capable of grasping the concept that two wrongs do not make a right, and that once our executive branch decides that the Constitution of the United States of America didn’t pertain to *them*, the rights we hold so dear as US citizens were in very real jeopardy.
And those fundamentalist, radical “born again” neo-con “Christians” never *were* able to see any disconnect between the fact that they loved to loudly proclaim themselves as Christians, but were willing to use “but they do it, too” as justification.
I can only console myself with the knowledge that an anonymous internet forum like this tends to draw the true crazies, and they are not — by any stretch of the imagination — indicative of the way the majority of Americans think or feel.

Then lets e-mail all our representitives and tell them that the new detention center needs to be built in DC and next to the them. They can sleep good at night knowing that these people and their pals are said to be peacefull.

63tango, Robert Reich did indeed talk about setting up specific rules to prevent money from going to, in his own words, “white construction workers”. Charlie Rangel asked him specifically if he would support tying money to rules that would require states to funnel the money to specific minority groups instead of simply looking at needs. This is racist and Obama should be ashamed. We do not need a government that decides who is eligible for aid based on the color of their skin. Why do we need rules that mandate who the money will go to if those rules are not designed to favor one group over another. I see this as a simple implementation of Obama’s pledge to “spread the welath”. If you are white and low income you have a right to question whether you will be shafted so other favored groups can get more of that wealth redistribution.
This is a sick and racist attempt to divide people based on political views.

Let us hope that President Obama is able to completely wipe away the stench of the past criminal administration.

Silky,,,,the only disgrace we have was created bt the outgoing president and his cronny Cheney. Just look at his approval rating and our standing in the world…..I am running out of hankechiefs for you crying darhards
Posted by: BSKI
______________________________________
BSKI, just how much of a “disgrace” did Laura Bush and the two daughters create? At Obama’s inauguration, you all “booed” them too as they left Washington.
Yes, BSKI, I can certainly see how your party is definitely more mature and well mannered than the Republicans ever were.

Doesn’t matter what Reich says, blacks and other minorities will loose jobs to undocumented workers. Some think that Dr. Kings dream came true on 1/20, as long as we continue to look at color when enacting laws, projects and other legislation his dream will never be realized. I guess the concept of those best suited for a job or contract should get really escapes our law makers. Stop trying to make up for the past. Realize that these injustices happened and ensure they never happen again. We are all equal regardless of the color of our skin. Do not create an atmosphere of overcompensation. By the way what the hell was the comment “white think right” supposed to mean? Also he couldn’t think of a better speech than to make this about race?

hey I wonder if President Obama had to fumigate the White House to rid the smell of Bush and any other Republicans who also stunk it up?

Does anyone really believe that Bush & Co. just randomly locked up these people for no apparent reason??? These are criminals that want to harm us any way they can. Let’s bring our troops home to secure our borders and infrastructure as tight as possible BEFORE we let these criminals loose!!

Sounds like Obama is just trying to please the world instead of worrying about our country. Let’s make sure our enemies are happy that Bush isn’t protecting us any longer.

Cheney reminded me of that character Potter in that Jimmy Stewart movie It’s A Wonderful Life. did anyone also noticed that. My mother and I were talking about that on the phone and she asked me who Cheney reminded me of and I knew right away. Now that is funny. Personally I also think Cheney was trying to get sympathy from people being in the wheel chair like old man Potter because he knew his day was finished and I also noticed Cheney had that same old scowl look on his face on President Obama’s inauguration day which gave me the impression that he wasn’t a happy camper lol.

Well, just as US prisons are great training grounds for criminal activity upon release – I expect that many who are “detained” (such a bland word for unrightful, open ended imprisonment) at Guantanamo, previously guiltless of any crime (or they would have been charged and prosecuted), will now be only glad to exact revenge for the lives that have been ruined.
Sadly, the neocons will use this to tell us “we told you so” about their release.
Fighting fire with fire is seldom a good practice.

I’m wondering if President Obama saw the same resemblance between Cheney and that Potter character and if so I hope to God he had a good laugh that night with Michelle talking about it in private.

In 2000, Rep. asked that we give Bush a chance. In 2004 they asked not to change horses in midstream.
I think that its only fair that Rep. give Obama a chance. As there is no question about the election results, and supreme court rulings, its the only fair thing to do.
Dont lose heart, you can always hire Ken Starr to burn money investigating Obama for something, we the people, dont care about.
I am sorry that they Booed Bush. If I was there I would summon the strength to suppresses my rage, and give one more condescending round of applause.

Pushing forward with his Treasury pick is anything but a clean break – same ol’ same ol’ for people in high places.

President? Lmao. I don’t even feel the need to post the title Mr. before the name Obama. It’s a joke that this man is even the President. I love the way people claim it’s not about race, but 93% of black voters voted for Obama (though I’m sure it was truly based on his political view, overwhelming experience and ability to vote ‘present’ how many times?) he attended a ‘church’ that spewed anti-white propoganda for years, only renouncing Rev. Wright after this all came out in the open. I’m tired of it only being racist if white with something to say. He spent $170 Million on his coronation celebration, money which would have been better spent building homless shelters and keeping the illegals out of this country. If the terrorists don’t want to be detained, quit trying to kill Americans! If you don’t like being broke, uneducated, working for minimum wage, then learn to read, get a better job and quit having kids to collect a welfare check. Why doesn’t NObama try actually enforcing child support orders instead of giving out tax credits as rewards? Cabrini Green was once a nice apartment complex in the middle of Gold Coast Chicago, how did it turn into a drug infested hole in the wall? As far as I’m concerned, give help to the middle class people who need, get rid of all the illegals taking our jobs, help the people making minimum wage get a skill set instead of entitling them to free money and focus on the issues, not the color of peoples skin. But with people like Bobby Rush (previously a Black Panther) and his wife Michelle who wrote that Princeton paper on the evil white people, how much positive change can we truly expect from Nobama? Remember, he never said it would be a good change. Obama spends dollars, but the man doesn’t make any sense!

Ron: You are not the same piece of slime that beat up a woman in Florida, are you?

I have to admit, I am getting a good kick out of seeing so much Obama hate.
I had to go thru 8 years of that kind of pain.
I also admit that its kind of sad, to get enjoyment out of someone’s pain.

How do we know Bush kept America safe after 9-11? Because we were not attacked again right away? Like terrorist have a schedule on attacking America. Look at history …. We might have just been lucky or where is the evidence that he prevented any, His own people said the torture (waterboarding) did not yield any useful information to prevent future attacks. I do not beleive for one minute Obama would not have people in place to help prevent an attack from happening. He will receive a briefing everyday just like GW as well as past presidents. He also received information the GW W. House had, just like GW received from his predecessor did. It is just what you do with that information that counts.
May 4, 1886 – bombing and riot at Haymarket Square rally in Chicago, Illinois – 12 dead 60 injured
24 Years in between
Oct. 1, 1910 – bombing at newspaper building in Los Angeles, California – 20 dead 20 injured
6 Years in between
July 22, 1916 – bombing at parade in San Francisco, California – 10 dead 40 injured
4 Years in between
Sep. 16, 1920 – bombing near bank in New York City, New York – 38 dead 300 injured
55 Years in between
Dec. 29, 1975 – bombing at airport in New York City, New York – 11 dead 75 injured
18 Years in between
Feb. 26, 1993 – truck bombing of World Trade Center, New York City, New York – 6 dead 1,040 injured
2 Years in between
April 19, 1995 – truck bombing of federal building, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – 169 dead 675 injured
6 Years in between
Sep. 11, 2001 – crashing of hijacked planes into World Trade Center, New York City, New York, Pentagon in Alexandria, Virginia, and site in Pennsylvania – 2,993 dead 8,900 injured

Murdering terrorists around the world are applauding Obama’s ideals and sensitivity. I can see them now firing their machine guns into the air like a bunch of mentally ill Balrogs, delirious in their excitment and anticipation.

I hear he’s turning terrorists loose to go and fight our troops. Smooth move. NOT.

This is soooo surreal. Ignorance is still prevalent in the 21st century. It’s like you bigots would give up your livelyhood, and safety rather than give up your hatred, and ignorance I must add. I have never seen a bigot who was not an idiot. Such hatemongores that continue to recruit and stir up division. You know no facts, you twist that which you can’t understand or read, you call things true because some other bigot said it, you’re pathetic. The dumbest thing about this whole conversation is that PRESIDENT Obama has only been COMMANDER AND CHIEF one day and you’re complaining of no change. You guys are sadly comical. Those of you who claim to be Christians, please please call yourselves religious bunch–the only people that Jesus attacked, “Ye hipocrits and blind.” I am a Christian, follower of Christ, and would not want to be associated with you in-the-name-of-Jesus haters. I will pray for you, least you take your places in Hell.